"Ding-dong..."
The doorbell rang in the early morning.
You En opened the door. Horikita Suzune stood there in casual clothes, her chin slightly raised and a pure white canvas bag in her hand. She radiated a youthful, charming energy, along with a faint, sweet fragrance.
"What kind of body wash do you use? It smells so nice."
Horikita Suzune leaned closer, seeming to sniff at something, then met You En's gaze.
"It's the same scent as yours."
"Does the free body wash smell like this? How come I've never noticed?"
You En lifted his arm and sniffed it.
Horikita Suzune explained it with the reasoning of a science student.
"Probably because you're used to your own scent, so you're more sensitive to mine."
"Oh, is that how it works?"
You En was ready too. "Shall we go now?"
"I brought the books we'll need," Horikita Suzune said.
But she stood by the doorway, her gaze fixed on the room.
You En noticed and smiled.
"Curious about what a guy's dorm room looks like?"
"Not really..."
Horikita Suzune had only wanted to see what the living space of the guy in front of her was like. She wasn't interested in other boys.
You En stepped aside to clear the entrance.
"Come in. Welcome, Suzune."
Horikita Suzune brushed a strand of hair aside with her right hand. "I wasn't planning to come in that much... But since you're asking me to, I'll take a look."
You En really wanted to say that tsunderes were out of fashion, but he held back the comment for fear of getting hit.
Horikita Suzune walked into the room. It was very tidy and looked like it was cleaned regularly.
There was no clutter, and everything was neatly arranged.
In fact, the room looked just as it had when the school first furnished it. Nothing had been added, and nothing had been moved. It was like a brand-new room.
Horikita Suzune came over to You En's desk. Aside from the school-provided desk lamp, the only thing on it was a complimentary mug, filled with boiled water that had gone cold.
She couldn't help wondering what he did in his room after school every day. Didn't he feel lonely in a place like this?
You En came over and saw Horikita Suzune staring blankly at the desk.
"Do you think it's boring?"
Horikita Suzune shook her head. The room was like a blank book, but it wasn't empty of content. She could vaguely sense a quality completely different from her own.
She just couldn't work out what it was yet.
"Don't you feel lonely in a place like this?" she asked.
You En thought it over but didn't answer right away.
If he had points to spare, he might buy some manga, novels he liked, or games to keep here.
If he didn't, that was fine too. An empty room was a good place to think. That was its own kind of enjoyment.
He looked at Horikita Suzune. "Isn't it less lonely here now?"
Horikita Suzune turned her head and ignored his remark.
"Enough with the strange things you say. If we're going to study, we should get going. The library gets busy even on days off, so we need to find seats."
The two of them left the dormitory together.
They ran into their classmate Kanji Ike. They weren't close, so they didn't greet each other. Perhaps it was awkward because Ike and his friend had argued earlier that day. They simply passed each other.
"Hey, are you going to the library too?"
Ichinose appeared, followed by a group of Class B students.
"Hi, Ichinose. Are you all holding a study session?"
Ichinose Honami nodded. "Yeah. The classes at this school are pretty challenging, so we thought we'd study together and review."
Were they really that hard?
You En thought the curriculum was well designed and the teachers were highly qualified. The material built up gradually, from easy to difficult, giving everyone a chance to show the limits of their talent and effort in each subject.
Ichinose had scored first on every entrance test. Some students might have held back a little, but that didn't change the fact that she had earned first place. As long as she didn't make a mistake, she could basically get full marks in every subject.
So, in essence, she was just looking out for the students around her.
She didn't want them thinking, "I might be wasting Ichinose's time." Little Fatty Bo really was an angel.
"Hey there, sweet and kind Tsube Ninami, Ando Sayo, and Amikura Mako. Good morning!"
You En looked past Ichinose and smiled as he greeted several of the girls who had given him food yesterday. A group of cute girls blushed in response.
Ichinose teased him playfully. "You En, don't go bullying the other girls in our class, okay?"
"I'm not. You can ask them if you don't believe me..."
You En sensed that the person beside him was getting impatient.
"Anyway, you're still waiting for people, aren't you? We'll get going."
Ichinose glanced at Horikita Suzune, seeming to understand something, then waved.
"Bye! Hope you two have a nice day."
After You En left, Kanzaki Ryuji came over.
"Was that guy from Class D?"
Ichinose was checking which students hadn't arrived yet and hurrying to contact them. When she heard someone speak, she looked up.
"Huh, Kanzaki? Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say it again?"
Kanzaki offered his advice seriously.
"The information we have is that only one class in each year at this school can graduate. Every other class is a rival.
"As a class leader, it's best to think things through for yourself. You should also tell the others not to get too close to students from other classes."
"Mm, thanks for the warning. It's just, Kanzaki..."
Ichinose began.
Kanzaki pushed up his glasses. "It's just what?"
Ichinose Honami smiled. "I think he's probably a good person. Everyone seems to think so, which is why they're friendly with him. And Hoshinomiya-sensei told me to spend more time with him, too."
"Hoshinomiya-sensei suggested that?"
Kanzaki pinched the crease between his brows.
"Why does he have to be from Class D? If he were from Class A, I could at least accept it."
Ichinose Honami replied, "I know you're probably fed up with Class C.
"But Class D hasn't caused us any trouble so far, and only a few students in Class C are annoying. We're all students at the same school. There's no need to be so hostile.
"And don't assume the classes are ranked by ability. Try not to look down on them, either."
Kanzaki acknowledged her, but he didn't really take her words to heart. He had his own ideas, though he respected Ichinose, the leader who had managed to unite everyone in the class.
The library.
You En and Horikita Suzune used their Student Terminals to enter. On the third floor, they found an empty seat in a study room with few people and sat facing each other.
Horikita Suzune took out her books, then looked at You En, who was standing there empty-handed.
"Where are your books?"
"I'll borrow them now. I looked them up last night."
You En went to the reception desk on the third floor. It was a small room with only one window. The lights inside were off, leaving it dark. He could only hear the sound of pages turning.
"Hello?"
"...You want to borrow a book?... A new student?"
A tired voice, on the verge of giving out, came from inside. It was hard to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman; it sounded quite androgynous.
"Yes."
"New students borrowing books... Go to the first floor. Your collection is there. You can use that glowing screen to do it."
"Thank you."
"No problem..."
The figure inside seemed to glance through the window at You En's back.
"You—don't wander around. If someone weren't protecting you, you'd have died several times over already."
You En had no idea what that meant.
"What?"
"I wasn't talking to you... Go borrow your books."
After the figure spoke, they drew the curtain.
You En could only go down to the first floor. What the person had just said made no sense. He hadn't been wandering around; he'd been perfectly normal. Why had they warned him?
And... what did they mean by someone protecting him?
Who were "you" and "they" supposed to be?
He couldn't figure it out. He'd think about it later. He could leave it to his future self; that was the wisdom of hindsight.
You En cleared his mind and focused on what he had to do now. He found a Student Terminal in front of a huge pillar in the middle of the first floor.
"Electronic borrowing?"
He looked up the books he wanted and entered their corresponding numbers.
Wilderness Survival Encyclopedia—0 points for in-library use, 20 points/day for borrowing (new students)
You En looked at it. New students even got a discount on borrowing books. Normally, each book cost at least 100 points per day, but this semester, it only cost 20 points to start. That was pretty cheap.
He borrowed three books for now: the Wilderness Survival Encyclopedia, Ocean Knowledge for Beginners, and an Illustrated Quick Reference Guide to Identifying Common Wild Berries and Medicinal Plants.
[You En, your book-borrowing request has been approved. Please collect your books at Station 3. Remember to return them before leaving the library, or the corresponding number of personal points will be deducted.]
You En saw that a number was marked at intervals along the pillar in the middle. Beneath each number was a window. One of the automatic doors opened, revealing three books standing inside.
"That's pretty interesting. Is this managed by an intelligent system?"
You En's respect for the school went up another notch.
"You borrowed these books?"
Horikita Suzune looked at You En. "Are you already familiar with the course material?"
"Isn't that what you're here for? Let me take advantage of you a little. Once you've finished reviewing and making notes, I'll just look them over."
Horikita Suzune thought that was fine. The fact that he was willing to read her notes was good, too, so she put a little more effort into organizing them.
The two of them lowered their heads and got on with studying and organizing their material without saying a word. It was peaceful, and they seemed to share a quiet understanding.
After You En finished a book, he started to feel that something was strange.
He seemed to have memorized everything and understood it, too... The books he'd picked were all introductory, after all, without anything particularly complicated.
"Suzune, Suzune..."
You En called softly.
Horikita Suzune looked up, her hair coiled on the desk, its strands sticking up.
"What is it?"
"Quiz me? I feel like I remembered everything after reading it once, but I don't know if I'm imagining things."
"Fine."
Horikita Suzune took the book. She read a few pages carefully, then asked him about several points. The more she asked, the more surprised she became.
"Had you memorized this book in advance?"
"No. Do you think I have enough points to borrow books?"
You En said that, but in fact he had a hefty 500 points he'd extorted from Ayanokoji.
"I'll ask you some more."
Horikita Suzune asked him about several more things. He could recite the answers word for word, explain what they meant, and even remember the page numbers.
She returned the book. She was still a little shaken, though she didn't feel discouraged...
When the gap between you and someone else is too great, it's hard to feel discouraged or jealous. It's like you aren't even in the same world.
You En sighed again.
"That's the caliber of Hoshinomiya-sensei."
"Hoshinomiya-sensei...?"
Horikita Suzune looked puzzled.
"What does this have to do with the Class B homeroom teacher?"
You En briefly told her about the treatment session, as well as how he'd been feeling and what had happened over the past few days.
Horikita Suzune considered it.
"I won't say whether it's real or not, but if it is... wouldn't that be magic?"
"Maybe it really is some kind of magic."
You En suddenly suggested, "Why don't we switch classes?"
"Huh??"
The black-haired girl let out a cute, bewildered cry.
Realizing she'd let herself slip, she covered her mouth, then glared at You En.
"Forget it. Stop making up stories to tease me. We need to keep studying."
"Oh."
You En opened his terminal and looked at his personal profile.
Aside from what he already had:
Language Lv. 2 (Professional) Creation Lv. 3 (Master) Communication Lv. 2 (Professional) Test-Taking Lv. 2 (Professional)
He'd picked up the basics of these over the past few days:
Swimming Lv. 1 (Proficient) Diving Lv. 1 (Proficient) Knots Lv. 1 (Proficient) Hunting Lv. 0 (Beginner) Gathering Lv. 0 (Beginner)
And just now, he had suddenly reached the introductory level in three skills. They were:
"Ocean Meteorology Lv. 0 (Introductory)"
"Channel Surveying Lv. 0 (Introductory)"
"Herb Identification Lv. 0 (Introductory)"
He had grasped the theoretical parts of these skills, but seemed to lack practical experience, so he hadn't yet mastered them. Still, with some training, he should improve quickly.
He didn't know how long this state would last, so he decided to keep studying.
You En planned to make the most of this time and put in a little extra effort. Once he finished these books, he would go downstairs to return them and borrow a few more.
After You En got up and left,
Horikita Suzune looked up at him and felt that she needed to work harder. She finally understood what a true genius was.
"Are you here to borrow books too?"
While You En was returning his books, he suddenly heard a soft, sweet voice.
He turned around and shifted his gaze slightly, then noticed a petite girl with smooth silver hair and large purple eyes. She was very cute.
"Shiina Hiyori?"
Shiina Hiyori looked slightly surprised. "Huh, you know me?"
You En couldn't exactly say he'd called her his wife in his previous life, so he could only reply,
"I've heard of you."
Shiina Hiyori was perceptive and observant. She suspected that was a lie, but didn't press him on it.
"What kind of books are you reading?"
"They're all introductory books on specialized subjects. You probably wouldn't like them."
Shiina Hiyori thought there was something odd about the way he'd said that. He didn't mean he thought she might not like the books because she was a girl; rather, he'd phrased it gently because he believed she wouldn't like them.
That was strange. They'd only just met, so how did he already seem to know a little about her?
Shiina Hiyori decided to probe him a bit more and said,
"Then I'll give them a try... Although I'm not really inclined to read books on specialized subjects, I can read anything as long as it's a book."
"Then you can borrow them yourself."
You En continued returning his books. He hadn't planned to hand them over to her.
"All right. Um... classmate,"
Shiina Hiyori said, "I still don't know your name."
"You En."
"All right, I'm Shiina Hiyori,"
Shiina Hiyori said with a gentle, serene smile.
"Now, You En, it's not just that I've heard of you—we've met in person."
After chatting for a little while,
You En sensed that she was probing him, so he took the initiative to end the conversation. He hadn't been on his guard when they first exchanged a few words, and she might have noticed something, but it didn't matter. He'd just be more careful next time.
Shiina Hiyori borrowed the books You En had returned. Looking at the thick, brick-like books on specialized subjects, she fell into thought.
Should she use up her novel-reading time to get through these books?
She didn't really want to read them,
but she had a feeling something about that person she'd just met was a little off... Never mind. She'd try reading them in her spare time.
Shiina walked along with the books in her arms. If things unfolded like they did in a detective novel, she might end up thanking herself for the decision she'd made today.
"How could that be?"
She felt her imagination was getting a little too carried away,
and laughed it off.
Before you continue